


Blow What's Left of My Right Mind

by eyeslikeonyx



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Canon Compliant, Couch Sex, Developing Relationship, First Time, Grinding, M/M, Mild Blood, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Sexual Content, Vampire Bites, Vampires, Werewolves Turn Into Actual Wolves, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 11:55:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20291047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyeslikeonyx/pseuds/eyeslikeonyx
Summary: Jamie stares at his phone, reading over the article that Jordie sent him just moments ago as he walks through the woods on the outskirts of his hometown. It’s early in the morning, and he’s finished his daily run, and he’s not entirely sure if he’s reading the headline right.Seguin, Eriksson Swapped in Seven-Player Trade.





	Blow What's Left of My Right Mind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpiritsFlame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritsFlame/gifts).

> to my beta: thank you so much for reading over this for me and cheering me on! you're the best at what you do, and i'm very thankful for you, your support, and our friendship.
> 
> to my recipient: i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it!
> 
> comments and kudos are always welcome!

Jamie stares at his phone, reading over the article that Jordie sent him just moments ago as he walks through the woods on the outskirts of his hometown. It’s early in the morning, and he’s finished his daily run, and he’s not entirely sure if he’s reading the headline right.

_ **Seguin, Eriksson Swapped in Seven-Player Trade.** _

The article tries to gloss over everything and make it sound like such a nice, beautiful trade carefully wrapped with a gorgeous bow to top it off. But Jamie doesn’t need to wonder why Seguin got sent away. Everyone in the general public knows that Seguin is a notorious party animal and self-proclaimed womanizer. The guy is shameless in that department and word through the grapevine says that he’s given the PR guys in Boston a lot of shit to clean up since getting drafted.

The next article Jordie sends him is one written by a popular sports journalist from the Underworld. Most of the time he doesn’t read their articles because he knows how critical they can all be, but he’s still a good distance away from his truck and he needs to know what people in the Underworld are saying.

** _Bruins Trade Seguin to Stars. Benn Lined Up to Be Stars’ Alpha. Who’s Running This Team?_ **

_ The Boston Bruins have announced that they are trading away their young star, Tyler Seguin, the Dallas Stars in a seven-player trade. For the humans that are Bruins fans, they think this trade is something good and something to be proud of. _

_ But for any of us who are both a Creature of the Underworld and a hockey fan know that despite the fact that a 21 year old vampire is apparently a nightmare to handle, this trade was a reckless decision made by the Bruins front office. The Underworld executives sitting in Boston’s house made the decision today, July 4, to send Seguin, a very young, active, and notoriously thirsty vampire, to a team that does not have a single vampire on its roster. _

_ In fact, the Dallas Stars have never had a vampire join its team in its franchise history and have always been adamant about never signing a vampire under any circumstances. _

_ The reason for this is simple: the only Creatures that work for and play for the Dallas Stars organization (and this dates back to the days when they were still in Minnesota as the Minnesota North Stars) as a whole have been wolves, and a clash between the natural enemies would inevitably end in bloodshed and mass chaos. _

_ Jamie Benn, one of the now nine or ten potential wolves said to be on the Stars’ final roster this season, is the likely contender to carry the title of Captain for the team and the title of Alpha for his newfound pack within the team. The announcement for the Captaincy and the appointing of the new Alpha for the team will be coming soon, most likely before the preseason is set to begin in September, and Dallas will have to make some decisions about where they really want this team to go. While Benn has proven himself to be a worthy leader, there has been plenty of doubt regarding whether he is ready to take over as team Captain and pack Alpha. His family history has been drudged up over and over again over the past— _

Jamie closes out the article and locks his phone so he doesn’t have to read anything else. He has a feeling he knows what this author will say next: they’ll talk about his family history, his timidness in the face of other Alphas in the past, and other forms of bullshit that he can’t really begin to think about right now.

His phone vibrates in his hand a moment later, and he looks to see a new text from Jordie.

**Bro: u alive over there?**

Jamie can’t discuss this through text. His anger and frustrations are buzzing through his veins, and his wolf is close to bursting through his skin once more. He thought the early run would help sate his wolf’s needs to burn off some adrenaline.

He’s afraid he spoke too soon.

“Is this a joke?” Jamie says when Jordie answers his phone call. “Tyler Seguin is really coming to Dallas?”

“You don’t sound excited about it,” Jordie deadpans.

“Who let Nill sign a vampire to a team that only has wolves on its roster? That’s not fair to any of us.”

“Beats me, bro. All I know is that Tyler Seguin is coming to Dallas and we have no choice but to welcome him with open arms.”

“Yeah, if the rest of the team doesn’t try to fucking kill him first.”

“Well, hopefully, you’ll put a stop to all the bullshit before it really starts causing problems in the room. We all know you’re going to be the new Alpha, so get ready to break up some fights if things get too ugly.”

Jamie tries not to gag at the reminder of his newfound Alpha status.

“You’re going to help me out, right?” He feels like he knows the answer, but he just needs to hear Jordie say it.

“No shit,” his older brother scoffs. Jamie breathes. “The last thing I want is for everyone to hate each other. And look, it’s one of him against almost a dozen of us. What’s the worst he could do?”

Jamie knows that Jordie is being logically sound here, and he knows that Seguin most likely can’t take on the entirety of the Dallas Stars’ new pack on his own. But he knows the rumors circulating Seguin’s reputation in the Underworld. He’s heard about the wild parties that would quickly spiral into something equivalent to a vampire orgy. And there was the one time that Seguin had supposedly almost gotten arrested by Underworld authorities for something that sounded a lot like paying a human to let him drink blood from them, which is considered a form of solicitation and prostitution in their world. Jamie doesn’t know if that last one actually happened, but it’s pretty much implied that most of the things that have been said about Tyler Seguin are true, and the vampire has never denied any of it.

Jamie has a feeling that Dallas is going to get a lot more than they bargained for by having Seguin join the team. How the other members of the Stars organization who are Creatures actually decided that this would be a good idea is beyond him. Nill isn’t a Creature; neither is Gaglardi.

But Lites is definitely one—another wolf, to be exact—and he knows the ramifications of a decision like this, especially if it ends up blowing up in their faces. Not only has he signed off on a vampire joining a roster of wolves, he has also put Seguin in very blatant danger. The Underworld media is probably losing its collective shit over broken ethics codes. It’s a cruel and unusual punishment, but there’s nothing Jamie can do about it now.

Whether everyone likes it or not, Tyler Seguin is a Dallas Star now. Jamie and the rest of the wolves on the team are just going to have to live with it and play nice.

When August rolls around, Jamie is asked personally by Lites to pick up Seguin from the airport before training camp is set to begin.

“It’ll be better if one of the Alpha wolves on the team does it so that he feels at least somewhat welcome,” Lites explains. “He’s anxious enough as it is, according to his agent. Take Jordie with you while you’re at it. It’ll be good press. People will see that we’re welcoming him with open arms. A sign of peace and solidarity among Creatures, if you will.”

Jamie isn’t exactly sure that this is necessarily a good plan, but it’s the only one they’ve got.

“I can’t believe Lites convinced us to do this,” Jordie mumbles, peering over heads to see if he can find Seguin anywhere around the baggage claim area of Dallas-Fort Worth. Jamie is checking Seguin’s flight information that someone from PR had forwarded to him. It says that his plane should have landed thirty minutes ago, but there’s still baggage claim and customs to deal with before they’ll be able to see him.

“It could always be worse,” Jamie murmurs. “He could be an American vampire.”

Jordie appears to be thinking about that statement before nodding in agreement.

“We just need to play it cool,” Jamie continues. “He’s a part of this team now, and he deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Plus, sending a human out here to come get him would’ve been kind of a shit move. At least we can greet him properly and let him know that he’s not a threat to the team.”

They fall into silence and continue watching for Seguin to come to them.

“You think his bloodthirst problem is real?” Jordie suddenly asks a few minutes later. Jamie blinks.

“Well, he’s a vampire, so—” he begins to say a little tartly.

“You know what I mean. I know you’ve heard the rumors about how much blood he consumes.”

The whole party boy persona to humans is bad enough, but for an athletic vampire to have an excess blood drinking issue is an even bigger news story for the Underworld. Vampires are not very well liked as a rule, and they ride a thin line on being accepted fully into Underworld society. It’s always baffled Jamie how vampires get the least amount of respect, even if they prove themselves worthy of equal treatment. Vampires are a little more notorious for their violent ways than most Creatures, but the prejudice has never made sense to Jamie. He doesn’t personally know many vampires—three or four tops—but he knows that he would hate being treated like a second-class citizen if he was in the same position.

He’s a wolf, so Creatures tend to like him a lot more by default. Wolves are the protectors of the Underworld, and they don’t tend to be nearly as senselessly violent as other Creatures. He gets treated very well, even with his family history of failed Alphas looming over his head and his legacy like a cloud.

“So he drinks more blood than the average vampire,” Jamie says defensively. “I don’t see the big deal. We don’t personally know him yet. For all we know, those rumors are just that: rumors. He also plays a contact sport that burns a lot of energy out of him, so that probably has something to do with it. We all know that Malkin’s bloodthirst isn’t exactly normal, either. Neither is Toews’ nor Fleury’s nor Tavares’ nor—”

“Ok, ok, I get it. But that doesn’t change the fact that Seguin isn’t like them, either. His thirst is so much worse for some reason.”

“We don’t know that. Boston was probably just looking for an excuse to get rid of him. And it sounds like it was a shitty excuse.”

“Yeah, it kind of was.”

Jamie and Jordie whip around to see who has spoken and are equally surprised when they see Tyler Seguin.

The vampire looks tired, but he’s giving the brothers a close-mouthed smile that seems at least a little genuine. He looks almost the same that he did the last time they all played against each other, from what Jamie can remember about that game; his curly brown hair is a little longer now, and his honey brown eyes are accentuated by the dark circles resting under them. He’s in sweats and a t-shirt, and he looks like he could go for the longest nap of his life.

Jamie ignores the way his heart skips a few beats.

“We kind of figured that,” Jordie says when Jamie doesn’t say anything else. The older Benn holds out his hand for Seguin. “Welcome to Dallas, man. We thought it would take you longer to get through Customs.”

Seguin only stiffens for a moment before relaxing again and taking Jordie’s hand in a firm shake. Jamie can smell the apprehension on him, but he doesn’t say anything. He would feel the same way if he was in the vampire’s position.

“Didn’t take as long as I thought it would,” Seguin explains. “Thanks for coming to pick me up.”

“Anytime, dude. We figured it would be easier this way. You know, having Creatures on the team come talk to you and all. Sign of solidarity and all that fun shit.”

In any other situation, Jamie would roll his eyes at his older brother for taking credit for his words. But his tongue is tied. He’s too busy staring at the flecks of gold in Seguin’s eyes to try and speak.

Seguin’s grin only falters a little, but he starts smiling again like nothing happened.

“Oh for sure, bro,” he agrees. He locks eyes with Jamie and doesn’t look away. “I’m glad you guys are here.”

Jamie swallows back the words on the tip of his tongue and just nods curtly once. He and Seguin shake hands, and Jamie has to force his hand to let go and not reach out for the handsome man when they separate.

“It’s good to see you again, Seguin,” he manages to say. Jamie can feel the vampire’s mood elevate significantly at his words, and he tries not to let it affect him to any degree.

“You can just call me Tyler or Segs, dude,” Seguin says. “I appreciate the respect, but it makes me feel old when people call me by my last name. Reminds me of my dad.”

Jamie snorts in understanding. Tyler is nice enough, so Jamie has a feeling that this might not be the worst idea Lites has ever had. Jamie can feel Jordie staring daggers into the side of his head, and he clears his throat.

“So where do you want to go first?” he asks as the group starts their walk to the truck outside of the airport. “We could get something to eat if you’re hungry.”

“Hell yeah, I’m fucking _ starving,” _ Tyler groans. Jamie laughs and is about to say something about going to a popular Tex Mex place when Jordie pipes up.

“I thought vampires only drank blood?”

Tyler frowns at Jordie.

“Vampires can still eat normal food,” he explains calmly. “We just have to have blood as well. Call it a balanced diet.”

Jamie can feel the embarrassment radiating off of Jordie, but Tyler looks like he’s been asked this question before. He probably has and much more often than is probably normal.

“Do you need us to stop by the team doctor’s office and get you some bags?” Jamie asks. “It’s on the way to downtown.”

Tyler gives him a ghost of a smile.

“I had some before I flew here,” he says. “Thanks for asking, though. I appreciate it.”

Jamie nods once and swallows as he fishes his truck keys out of his pocket.

“So is Tex Mex good with you?”

“Oh for sure.”

Tyler ends up getting a place in the same apartment building that Jamie and Jordie live in, and his place is a couple floors down from theirs. The building houses mainly Creatures and humans that are very familiar with the Underworld, so at least they’re in a place where they don’t have to hide their true nature too much.

Jamie and Jordie cook dinner most nights. Tyler comes over and most definitely eats his fill. He’s great company, but Jamie can tell that Tyler is still not entirely ready to open up to anyone. Not that Jamie can blame him; after all the rumors he’s heard through the grapevine about what happened in Boston, he can give Tyler the benefit of the doubt about trusting anyone.

Jamie and Jordie take Tyler around the Dallas nightlife along with other guys on the team who have arrived in town early. Jamie has heard that Tyler is a real charmer and really knows how to get people’s attention with just a bat of his long eyelashes and sultry smirk. Seeing it in action, though, is something else entirely.

Tyler flirts with the cute bartender with the long, dark hair and looks pretty proud of himself when he comes back over to the guys with their drinks. Jamie thinks it has a lot to do with Tyler’s vampire aura. He’s always noticed that vampires seem to be great flirts who know how to capture people’s attention and keep it. He wishes he could command a room like that.

Jamie doesn’t have a hard time garnering attention himself as an Alpha wolf. Omegas always seem to find a way to migrate towards him, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. It’s just a different kind of attention that he receives compared to when a vampire like Tyler gets attention. The infatuation for Jamie is much more subtle than the open flirtation Tyler gives and receives without even trying.

“You gotta teach Jamie your ways, man,” Jordie praises when Tyler gives everyone their drinks. “That bartender is eye fucking you like she can’t get enough.”

Tyler openly laughs and takes a sip of his gin and tonic. His eyes linger on Jamie, raking up and down his thick, muscular frame and combed back black hair. Jamie feels a little hot under the collar being looked at like that, especially from a vampire. Most races of Creatures outside of wolves don’t really give him a second look. That’s not to say he’s never hooked up with a faerie or a witch before; it’s just—something about being checked out by a vampire is really doing it for him.

“I get around,” Jamie says coolly. “Just not as often as most people do.”

“Seriously?” Tyler pipes up. “A hot guy like you should be getting every girl to drop their panties at your feet.”

Jamie sputters and almost chokes on his sip of beer, much to Jordie’s boisterous delight. Jamie glares at his brother, but Jordie just keeps laughing. If Jordie wasn’t his second in command, he would be snarling just enough to get the point across.

“I just don’t like to hook up too much,” Jamie tells Tyler. “I’m fine with having some time to myself. Clear my head and do my own thing on my own time.”

Tyler nods thoughtfully at that.

“I get that,” he agrees. “Sex is so good, though!”

“Let me guess: even bad sex is still good sex as long as you get an orgasm out of it?”

“Fuck yeah, it is.”

Tyler doesn’t hook up at the end of the night like he had originally told Jamie and Jordie that he would. He’s not sloshed, either, so it ends overall pretty well. The other guys on the team that came with them seemed to like him, too, so that’s a good sign.

Jamie wants to trust his gut telling him that having a vampire on the team won’t be as bad as he imagined, but there’s still so much to watch for. His Alpha instincts tell him to stay on alert at all times but that Tyler is not a threat—so far.

Time will tell.

The real moment of truth for how this new season will go is the first day of camp two weeks after Tyler arrives.

The vampire has to talk to the PR team members that are Creatures before the rest of PR gets there. It’ll give Jamie time to gather all the wolves on the team and have a private meeting with them. Since he is unofficially the Alpha of this team now, he has to take the reins on all situations involving the Creatures on the team.

There are ten wolves on the roster counting Jamie and Jordie, which is more than last season, and Jamie feels like he’s in over his head when he comes into the locker room at ass o’clock in the morning. The only people in the entire practice facility are Creatures, so Jamie knows they are in the clear. The last thing any of them need is to explain why only certain players are in a meeting and others are not.

“I think you all know why I called you in here,” Jamie says as he looks around at everyone in the room. Eaks and Dales don’t look particularly fond about being here so early, but everyone else looks pretty ready to hear what Jamie has to say. It’s a little unnerving, to say the least.

Jamie clears his throat awkwardly.

“I know you guys are probably not super thrilled about having a vampire on the team. Believe me, I wasn’t happy with the idea, at first, either. But look, we can’t let this affect our play or our chances at finally becoming an elite team. And we can do that with Segs on our roster. He’s won a Stanley Cup already. He’s proven himself to be a valuable player with a lot of potential. Think of what he could do for us here in Dallas. Whether we like it or not, we need him.”

“How do we know this won’t cause problems on the team?” Whits asks. “We’ve been a wolf only team since before the team left Minnesota in the nineties. Now all of a sudden they want to toss out all the rules we’ve had set in stone for years?”

“I don’t have any control over what Lites and the rest of the organization does. We’re the only team that’s made that rule, and I guess he thinks it’s time for a change. Fuck if I know. All I know is that he’s here, and he’s most likely going to stay a while if this season goes well.”

“This will be tricky,” Roussel warns. “If things don’t work, we can’t guarantee that we won’t handle him ourselves.”

“If any of you override my status as the Alpha of this team, I will personally have you all removed from Dallas. No exceptions. If he causes a problem, you come to me first. Don’t try to handle it on your own. I call the shots from here on out. Understood?”

Jamie gets collective nods from everyone except for Chiasson and Cole. Jamie knows that those two gave him a hard time last season because they didn’t deem him fit to be the new potential Alpha of the other wolves on the team. They still don’t seem very thrilled that he’s going to be getting the C and the Alpha title when the preseason comes to a close in September, but they’re going to have to live with it if they want to stick around.

“If anyone has any questions or concerns or any personal issues with Segs when camp begins, you come to either me, Jordie, or Gonch. We all want the same thing here: peace in the pack and a good season. We can have both, and they can’t be mutually exclusive. We need to all get along if we want to get a playoff berth. Got it?”

There’s murmurs of agreement from everyone except (once again) Cole and Chiasson. Jamie stares at them with the most dangerous look he can muster without posturing and growling.

“I said, do you got it?” he grits out. He doesn’t to do this a lot, but sometimes it has to happen if he wants people to take him seriously. Cole straightens his posture and nods quickly. Chiasson just narrows his eyes at Jamie defiantly.

“Pack comes first, not that bloodsucker,” he snaps. “He’s not one of us. We’re not gonna sit around a fucking campfire and sing ‘Kumbaya’ with that monster.”

“Watch it, Chia,” Daley speaks for the first time since the meeting began. “We’re all monsters here, remember?”

“Except we don’t go around drinking other people’s blood for kicks.”

“You have a lot to learn about how vampires actually work,” Jordie sighs. Jamie smirks to himself at the progress Jordie has been making in trying to learn about Tyler’s lifestyle. Jamie has learned a lot himself in the past two weeks just from being in Tyler’s company, but he knows there’s still so much he and Jordie have to learn. Looks like the rest of the wolves on the team are going to have to learn as well.

“From what we’ve seen over the past two weeks,” Jamie explains, “Tyler seems to be very good about staying on top of his blood intake. I know we’ve all heard the rumors from Boston, but he’s made a good first impression on me and Jordie. We’ll see how camp and preseason go before talking to Lites. Until then, you will show him respect as long as I’m in charge. This is non-negotiable, Chia. Do I make myself clear?”

Chia stands and goes toe to toe with Jamie. He’s slightly taller than Jamie and built the same, if not just a little bit bigger. His wolf form is also large and dangerous and Jamie knows that Chia could probably kill him in a fight if it ever came down to it. The air is gone from the room and Chia is fairly intimidating in his own right, but the moment deteriorates when Chia snorts humorlessly.

“Crystal,” Chia replies before walking out of the locker room and slamming the door behind him. All the other wolves in the room start chattering to each other, and Jamie lets them be. Jordie and Gonch pull Jamie to the side and give him exasperated stares.

“That was fucking ballsy, bro,” Jordie says. “I mean, I knew you had it in you, but it’s still pretty cool to watch you go fucking Alpha on other wannabe Alpha douches like that.”

Jamie blushes at his brother’s compliment and jumps a little at Gonch’s hand clapping his shoulder blade.

“You carry yourself well,” he praises. “I am shocked that there was no fight.”

“No use in wasting my energy,” Jamie admits. “Chia isn’t exactly the nicest dude around. He’s always hated my guts for some reason. I guess it’s the Alpha thing.”

“Yes, I agree. A room with more than one Alpha is not easy.”

Right as Gonch says that, the locker room door opens again to reveal Tyler standing on the other side. His shoulders are hunched over just enough and his eyes are darting from person to person. The fear screaming off of Tyler’s scent is unmistakable. Tyler never reacted like this to him and Jordie, but Jamie can’t imagine how much more intimidating it can be, as a vampire, to come face to face with an entire pack of wolves—alone.

Tyler glances at Jordie then at Jamie, a silent question in his eyes.

_ What do I do now? _

Jamie swallows and steps forward until he’s standing next to Tyler. The rest of the wolves are watching Tyler with intense gazes, patiently waiting for him to do something out of line.

“All right, guys, knock it off,” Jamie commands harshly. “Your fight instincts are stinking up the whole locker room.”

No one is listening to Jamie’s order if the way they still haven’t changed their stances is anything to go by.

“Cut it out, all of you!”

“It’s in their nature,” Tyler pipes up. “I’m not gonna get mad at them for that.”

Jamie looks at the vampire in surprise, but the fear has begun to dissipate from Tyler’s aura. Tyler rolls his shoulders back and tilts his head up at the wolves in the room. Jamie doesn’t speak; he simply steps back and lets Tyler speak his piece.

“Look, I get that none of you are happy with me being here. Believe me. I’m still trying to deal with the fact that I’m a vampire on a team of nothing but wolves now. But I’m not here to cause problems.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Eaks bites. Tyler swallows down his Adam’s apple and takes a breath.

“Then let me prove myself instead of threatening to kill me on the first day. None of us wanted this, but what’s done is done. I can’t go back to Boston, and there’s no other team willing to take me. Which means you’re stuck with me for at least one season. So until then, how about we all act like we somewhat get along instead of trying to kill each other every time we get within five feet of each other?”

None of the wolves speak, but their anger is slowly fading with every passing second. Jamie stands to Tyler’s left, Jordie to Tyler’s right.

“He’s right, guys,” Jordie says. “We don’t have a choice in this situation, and we’re just going to have to live with it until further notice. We can have a successful season if we just learn to let this natural rivalry go and actually act like reasonable adults. If there’s an issue, you go to Jamie first.”

“Tyler.”

It’s Gonch speaking now, his voice level but serious.

“I know that you will try your best here. But time will tell us if you keep your promise. We hope you will keep your word so we can keep ours.”

Tyler nods reverently and shakes Gonch’s hand. That seems to be the tension breaker in the room because the rest of the wolves—albeit reluctantly—are shaking Tyler’s hand one by one. There is still some unsettled frustration, but Jamie is hoping that banging around the puck in camp later will help.

The first day of camp goes surprisingly well. And it keeps getting better and better with every day that passes. The unsuspecting humans on the team really like Tyler, and Eaks and Dales are starting to warm up to him. The other wolves aren’t rude to Tyler, but they aren’t going out of their way to be friends with him, which Jamie understands—he guesses.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Chubbs,” Jordie says when Jamie voices his concerns over dinner and _ Mario Kart _ one night.

“Chia still looks like he wants to kill Tyler every time he skates by him,” Jamie retorts.

“He’s an old wolf. Probably still all about _ tradition _ and _ natural enemies _ and shit like that. He hasn’t updated to the times.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s up to date on the times or not. He has plenty of influence on the others, and I know he’s still pissed that I’m most likely going to get the C and the Alpha title now. How do I know he’s not going to turn the others against me?”

Jordie leans back in his recliner and gives Jamie a knowing look.

“Pretty sure we’re not talking about Tyler anymore.” He doesn’t even need to ask. Jamie puts his controller down on the coffee table and rests his elbows on his knees.

“You know Chia’s probably gonna fight me to become Alpha. You know that just as well as I do.”

“Chubbs, nothing’s gonna happen.”

“You don’t know that.”

“If he does anything to you, I’ll fucking rip him to shreds myself.”

“You don’t have to go all overprotective big brother for me—”

“Jamie. You’re not just my little brother anymore; you’re my Alpha. I’m your Beta. I would kill and die for you without question. I’m not going to let anyone take away your title. You fucking earned it.”

The knot in Jamie’s chest slowly unravels with every word. Jordie’s right: he needs to stop thinking about the past. What’s done is done, and he needs to let it go. He can’t be a good Captain to this team nor a good Alpha to this pack that _ chose him _if he keeps letting the fear of failing like his grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on keep plaguing his spirit. He’s not like them; he’s stronger than them and will prove everyone wrong. Hell will freeze over before he let someone else decide his fate for him.

“I know you’re scared,” Jordie continues, “but the less you think about this generational curse bullshit, the better. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. Got it?”

Jamie breathes in slow and nods. Jordie leans back into the recliner and waits for Jamie to pick his controller back up. They play for another twenty minutes or so before they hear a soft knock on the front door. Jamie and Jordie’s impressive hearing is the only reason they can hear the knock because of how loud the game is.

“Probably the faeries from across the hall asking us to turn the game down again,” Jordie says when Jamie goes to answer the door. He’s expecting the fae as well, so he is in for a surprise when an exhausted looking Tyler is standing in the hallway instead. Jamie blinks.

“Hey, sorry for barging in like this,” Tyler mumbles quickly, “but uh—can I come in?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Jamie replies as he steps aside to let Tyler in. “What’s up?”

“I was hoping I could borrow your stove.”

Jamie’s face must give away his confusion because Tyler laughs nervously and holds up a plastic bag full of--_ oh. _

“Cold blood makes me really sick,” the vampire explains. “I know it’s kind of weird, but I really need to get some blood in my system before camp tomorrow, and I don’t want to be up all night puking my guts up.”

Jamie has only seen Tyler drink blood once. It was three days after they met, and Tyler had kept the blood in some kind of thermos to drink from while they were playing _ Call of Duty _ with Jordie. Jamie didn’t actually see the blood, but he could smell it. Tyler didn’t make a big, flashy show out of it or anything, but it’s clear he was drinking blood the whole time he was hanging out with Jamie and Jordie that day. Surprisingly, it didn’t bother either wolf.

“Yeah, the pots are in that cabinet over there,” Jamie replies as he gestures to the correct cabinet. Tyler breathes a sigh of relief.

“You’re the best, dude,” he gushes before rushing over to the cabinet to get the right pot he needs. Jamie turns to Jordie, who is making a face at the smell of blood starting to waft through the apartment when Tyler opens the first blood bag. Jamie doesn’t know what compels him to do so, but instead of going back into the living room with Jordie, he sits at the breakfast bar and watches Tyler move gracefully around the kitchen.

It’s interesting to watch this person who was a complete stranger suddenly come into his life and know his way around his kitchen in just a few short weeks. Jamie isn’t even bothered by the blood sliding out of the medical blood bag in one fluid motion. And the smell of blood being brought to a boil in a small, deep pot in his apartment isn’t so bad; it almost smells like melting metal.

Jordie swears loudly as he walks into the kitchen and covers his nose with the collar of his t-shirt.

“Yo, that shit stinks!” he exclaims. “It smells like fucking iron supplements in here!”

That startles a laugh out of Tyler, and Jordie and Jamie laugh with him. Jamie really likes Tyler like this: genuine, unapologetically himself. His shoulders aren’t as slouchy, and his eyes look a little brighter. He’s still holding back, but Jamie can’t take it personally. He can’t begin to understand what Tyler is going through. But it’s moments like these that show how far Tyler has come in such a short amount of time.

It gives Jamie hope for the season to come.

When the season officially starts, Jamie is officially named the Captain of the Dallas Stars and the Alpha of the Dallas Stars pack.

Chia was not thrilled to have to accept Jamie as the official Alpha in charge, but the other wolves on the team had overruled his vote. Jamie knew that Chia wouldn’t be happy and would make it known, but the passive aggressiveness and the body checks on Tyler and Jamie during practice are clearly unnecessary and even a little petty.

_ Beggars can’t be choosers _ is all that echoes through Jamie’s head whenever he wants to glare daggers at Chia. He should honestly be glad it’s not anything worse than some pettiness on the ice because, as Tyler had so nicely put it once, “At least he’s not trying to physically rip my fangs from my head. Wolves and witches used to do that to torture vampires back in the day.”

Jamie and Jordie had given him horrified expressions while Tyler was calmly sipping on his steaming hot cup of blood.

“Creatures used to be super barbaric,” he continued. “I mean, vampires weren’t that much better, obviously, but still.”

The team’s first game is against the Panthers, and Jamie should be more excited with the start of a new season with a team that’s really starting to show that they are capable of being great. But his wolf instincts have been telling him to stay on high alert, and he has no idea why. His first initial thought is that Chia is going to try and fight Jamie for control of the pack; the next thought is that he is going to turn their fellow wolves on their Alpha. Jamie knows that these are all irrational fears, but the thoughts stick with him all the way through the pressers, the signings, the practices, and even in his sleep.

When he and Jordie go to pick up Tyler from the vampire’s apartment downstairs, Jamie’s already hyperactive instincts are practically spinning when Tyler opens the door. His suit looks sharp, and his hair has no gel in it. He’s smiling, but Jamie _ knows _ that something isn’t right.

“You guys ready to go?” Tyler asks before Jamie can say anything to him. Jamie should really stick to his guns and ask Tyler what’s going on, but he can’t because they’re already running late. So he nods and gives Tyler room to lock up his apartment.

Jordie shoots Jamie a questioning look, but the only reply Jamie can give is a small shrug. Jordie narrows his eyes at Tyler’s back but lets his face morph back to normal when Tyler turns to face them. He still looks a little off, but Jamie still doesn’t say anything as they walk down the hall to the elevators.

The first period of the game is, to put it mildly, a shitshow.

For one thing, Tyler looks like he’s slowing down already, and the first period isn’t even all the way over. Then shit really hits the fan when Antoine gets into a fight with another wolf on the ice and gets thrown out of the first period. Jamie’s pretty sure Antoine’s going to say something about Weaver being a dickhead for trying to go after the only omega on the Dallas Stars roster, but still. A fight is a fight.

Antoine is puffing out his chest as he exits the ice and heads down the tunnel, and Jamie is livid. He turns to say something to Tyler about it, but when he does, anything he was about to say dies in his throat.

Tyler looks _ awful. _His skin is pale and clammy looking, and his eyes are glazed over and unfocused. Jamie can smell how weak Tyler is, and he’s about to get one of the Creature trainers to come look at him when Coach tells their line to get on the ice. Tyler seems to snap back into focus after that, and Jamie never finds the right moment to ask what’s wrong.

It’s not until the game is over—a 4-2 loss due to an empty netter—that whatever is affecting Tyler starts to finally catch up with him.

The team is walking back to the locker room, and Tyler is the last one off the ice. Jamie can sense that something is very off with the vampire, but he doesn’t want to say anything in front of anyone. Instead, he falls behind the rest of the guys and tries to stick close. He can see Jordie and Gonch looking back at him with curious glances, but he tells them to move ahead with everyone else.

Jamie gently takes ahold of Tyler’s bicep and stops them in the middle of the hallway and asks, “Is everything ok?”

Tyler’s eyes look almost lifeless when he looks up at Jamie. He looks like he did on the bench but somehow worse. Jamie didn’t think it was possible.

“Tyler, talk to me,” he says urgently. He’s holding the weaker man up by both of his biceps now, and he’s trying to stay calm as he watches Tyler quickly crumble.

“Blood,” Tyler croaks. “Need—_blood.” _

Jamie barely has time to react when Tyler’s knees buckle and he’s suddenly collapsing to the floor. Jamie swears loudly as he catches Tyler and eases him down. He sits an unconscious Tyler against the wall and cups the vampire’s face in his hands.

“Ty, wake up,” Jamie begs. “C’mon, snap out of it!”

“What’s going on?”

Jamie snaps his head up to look over his shoulder, and he breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that it’s Jordie standing in the hall.

“He collapsed,” Jamie frantically explains. “Something about needing blood.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jordie asks. “Do we even have any blood in the arena?”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t we? We have a fucking vampire on the team!” Tyler is quietly groaning, and he looks like he’s going to be sick. His eyes are still closed, and he’s breaking out in a fresh sweat. Jamie takes a deep breath and turns back to Jordie. “Find a trainer and see if they can find some blood bags around here for him. He needs blood now.”

Jordie doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. He nods once and runs down the hall to one of the training rooms. Jamie sits down in front of Tyler, his knees killing him from squatting in his skates for so long, and does his best to keep Tyler awake.

“You can’t fall asleep on me, man,” Jamie tells him. “Jordie’s going to get some blood. He’ll be back in just a minute.”

Tyler tries to breathe but breaks out into a coughing fit instead. He hisses quietly and rubs at his chest when he’s done. Jamie feels useless not being able to help Tyler do anything else except stay awake.

“What is going on out here?” a familiar Russian voice asks. Jamie runs a hand through his sweaty hair, helmet long forgotten somewhere down the hall along with Tyler’s. He turns around and sees Gonch standing in the hall right outside the doors to the locker room. The sound of reporters flurrying around the locker room is clear, and it makes Jamie’s skin prickle. They can’t see Tyler like this, especially reporters from the Underworld.

“Help me move him,” Jamie pants. “We can’t let anyone else see.”

Gonch nods and scrambles to help Jamie lift Tyler up from the ground. The vampire is dead weight between them, and he’s still drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Did he not have enough blood to last him through the game and after?” Gonch demands.

“Guess not,” Jamie murmurs as they manage to dodge a few more workers and reporters and escape into an exam room. They sit Tyler down on the exam table in the corner of the room and properly lie him down on his side. Tyler is groaning miserably, arms wrapped weakly around his waist.

“Ty, how much blood have you had today?” Jamie demands. “We need to know.”

Tyler blinks hazily up at Jamie before letting his eyes flutter close once more.

“I—” Tyler hisses and curls in a little on himself. Jamie is helping get Tyler’s skates off while Gonch sniffs around to see if he’s sustained injuries that neither wolf knows about.

“He is not hurt,” Gonch concludes as soon as Jamie tosses the skates on the opposite side of the room. “Where is Jordie?”

“Right here,” Jordie whispers as he slips through the door and closes it behind him. He dead bolts the door, a grimace clear on his face. Jamie realizes very quickly that Jordie is empty-handed.

“Where’s the blood?” Jamie asks. Jordie laughs bitterly.

“They didn’t think they needed to stock any blood bags for Tyler because they gave him what’s supposed to be enough supplies to last him until December.”

Jamie’s anger flares up.

“Is this a fucking joke?” he growls.

“That’s what Doc told me. So much for being fucking prepared for a vampire joining the club.”

Jamie curses and slams his fist into the wall next to Jordie’s head.

“What are we to do now?” Gonch asks. “He needs blood, and he needs it now.”

“It would take forever to get him out of here and back to his place,” Jordie sighs.

“Then we must have someone bring us blood.”

“Who could possibly sneak through security with blood bags?”

Jamie watches Tyler as the two men bicker over what to do next. Tyler looks far too sick. There’s no way they could get him out of the facility without everyone finding out what’s wrong with him. They would have to answer too many questions, and it would become a huge mess in the tabloids for both worlds. He doesn’t know what else he can do. Tyler needs blood, and he needs it right now.

Jamie takes off his jersey and starts pulling off his pads. He walks over to one of the small cabinets on the wall and starts pulling out medical equipment like gauze pads and disinfecting wipes.

“Jamie, what are you doing?” he hears Jordie asks. Jamie doesn’t reply. He cleans off his left forearm with the disinfectant wipes before washing down his arm in the sink with soap and water.

“You are not doing what I think you are doing,” Gonch says. Jamie turns to look at both men, who are watching him with shocked faces.

“You got any better ideas?” he challenges. “I have the fastest healing factor of any wolf in the NHL, and he needs blood.”

Jordie laughs incredulously.

“You can’t be serious.” When he realizes that Jamie isn’t laughing back, he frowns. “You’re being serious. You’re going to let a vampire drink from you. Dude, it’s one thing to make sure other wolves don’t try to kill him, but it’s another thing entirely to let him drink from you.”

“He will not know when to stop,” Gonch warns. “If he is this weak, it will be impossible for him to resist taking until you are drained of all of your blood.”

“He has more self control than I think anyone gives him credit for. We don’t have another option. We can’t get anyone else to come back here and let him drink from them, and we don’t have any blood bags and no other way of getting him out of here without someone else seeing him.”

“But—”

“I’m the Alpha,” Jamie finally snaps, “and what I say goes.”

Gonch stiffens where he stands. Jamie hates using his status as an Alpha on anyone, especially his own Betas, but he can’t bring himself to feel too guilty when he sees how deathly ill Tyler looks from the corner of his eye. Gonch clears his throat and lowers his head.

“As you wish, Alpha,” he says emotionlessly before stepping away. Jamie wants to apologize, but Jordie is grabbing his arm and holding him back.

“If you wanna help Tyler, now’s the time to do it.”

Jamie knows that Jordie is right. He still feels guilty for snapping at Gonch, but he needs to take care of Tyler first. He grabs a chair in the room and sits down by Tyler’s head. Tyler takes a deep breath but it devolves into another coughing fit. Jamie’s face scrunches in sympathy.

“Tyler? Can you hear me?” he asks quietly. Tyler manages to stop coughing a moment later and tries to open his eyes.

“Blood,” he rasps.

“I know. I know you need blood. But you need to listen to me first. You’re going to take some of my blood—right from the source.”

Tyler’s eyes widen just a little bit, and his breath hitches. He shakes his head a couple of times, and Jamie holds Tyler’s head in his hands.

“It’s gonna be fine, I promise. You need blood. We don’t have any blood bags, and the place is swarming with reporters. You gotta trust me, man. I’m ok with this.” Jamie lifts up his forearm and holds it up to Tyler’s mouth. Tyler whimpers and sniffs at Jamie’s skin.

“Jamie, I—I can’t—”

“Take what you need. I’ll be ok, Ty. Bite me.”

The vampire’s canines elongate, and the veins around his eyes reach the surface. All gold in his beautiful brown eyes disappears, replaced with midnight black.

Jamie’s hand clenches in a fist when he feels the sharp teeth sink into his skin. He bites his lip to hold back his pained yelp and takes deep breaths through his nose. Jordie takes his free hand and lets Jamie squeeze as hard as he needs. It’s painful, not pleasant in the slightest. But there’s something about watching Tyler drink from his arm that makes it hard for Jamie to look away. It feels like giving blood at the doctor’s office and when he does his yearly physical for the league; only this time, he has someone’s mouth drawing his blood. It’s not as terrible as he thought it would be, but he can already feel his healing factor kicking in, trying to replenish his blood supply.

The color is returning to Tyler’s face the longer he drinks, and Jamie is relieved. It’s not hurting him to let Tyler drink from him anymore; if anything, it’s starting to feel—kind of good. He can’t really begin to fathom how people say being bit a vampire is orgasmic or anything like that, but he can see how it can start to feel good after a while.

Jamie feels slightly drained when Tyler finally rips his mouth away from Jamie’s arm, but he comes back just as quickly when he realizes that he hasn’t closed up Jamie’s wound. He slowly licks at the bite until the holes are closed up and the skin around it is licked clean. It almost looks like nothing ever happened. The only way to tell that Tyler drank any blood from Jamie is the dried up blood stuck to Jamie’s skin.

Jordie has wet paper towels ready to give to Jamie, and Jamie hums out a _ thank you _ as he cleans off his arm. Gonch is still standing off to the side, head bowed and purposely not looking at Jamie. Jamie takes a breath.

“Gonch,” he calls softly. The Beta lifts his head to finally gaze up at his Alpha, eyes emotionless as he patiently waits for what Jamie will say next. “I’m sorry for how I acted. I don’t want you thinking that I don’t respect you, because I do. You’re not just one of my Betas. You’re my friend.”

Gonch takes a deep, steady breath before giving Jamie a softened glance.

“Most Alphas do not apologize to their Betas,” he says. “They do not care about hurting someone else’s feelings if their pride was wounded first. That is what makes you different from the others. You respect those equal to you and below you. And because I know you and the kind of Alpha you truly are, I do not think you need to apologize. You did what you had to do to save Tyler. And for that, I am not upset with you. And I do not blame you. I find your actions tonight—quite honorable.”

Jamie lets the ghost of a smile spread across his mouth as he shakes Gonch’s hand.

“I can handle everything from here,” Jamie promises. “Thank you for staying. You’re a good friend, Gonch.”

“It is the least I could do. I should tell you stories about my time in Pittsburgh. That was a very interesting several years, I shall say.”

Jamie chuckles quietly and lets go of Gonch’s hand.

“I’ll let you know when Jordie and I get Tyler home.”

“Please do.”

Gonch cracks the door open and checks up and down the hall for any sign of people that shouldn’t be there or could be snooping around to look for any of the four men. As soon as he sees that the coast is clear, he bows his head once to Jamie and Jordie before slipping out the door, closing it behind him. Jamie turns around to see Jordie helping Tyler sit up on the exam table and immediately comes over to check on Tyler.

“How are you feeling?” he asks. Tyler coughs a little but nods his head right after.

“Better,” he croaks. “Still shitty, but better.” He turns his gaze up to Jamie, and the hunger that was blazing through them just minutes before has been sated. “Thanks. For letting me drink from you. I owe you big time.”

“Don’t mention it. You needed blood; I heal fast. And we’re teammates. We have to look out for each other.”

Tyler smiles small and lets Jamie and Jordie help him stand up so they can get to the locker room to change clothes and head back home. He’s already decided that he’s crashing at Tyler’s place. He’s going to check and see how much blood the vampire has floating around his apartment and then make him drink more blood if it’s available. Tyler still isn’t back at normal strength, but he’s much better off than he was. He needs more blood before the night is over; that much is for sure.

Luckily everyone is gone except for Gonch, who passes by them in the hall to head off to his car. The three men take their showers and change clothes so they can leave and head out without being seen, working as fast as they can before someone realizes that something is up. Tyler keeps up with them, acting as if nothing is wrong and just casually trying to create small talk with Jamie and Jordie. Jordie seems to get the gist of what Tyler is trying to do, but Jamie is too focused on getting the three of them out of there to care about pictures of Marshall that Tyler’s best friend sent to him a few hours ago.

On a normal night, Jamie would be happy to look at photos and videos of Tyler’s dog that’s still temporarily living on the East Coast. But right now, he’s exhausted and in need of some sleep.

Jordie insists on driving, even though Jamie feels fine. “Just a precaution, bro,” Jordie tells him as he takes Jamie’s truck keys and climbs into the driver’s seat. Jamie doesn’t even try to fight him and climbs into the passenger seat. Tyler is in the back, lying down across the cab of the truck as best as he can with his long limbs everywhere.

“We’ll get you some more blood when we get back to your place,” Jamie says as Jordie starts pulling out of the parking garage. Tyler doesn’t reply, but Jamie can sense the vampire tensing up before trying to relax again. Jamie does his best not to think about it and focuses on the road in front of him.

Jordie heads back to his and Jamie’s place while Jamie follows Tyler back to Tyler’s apartment.

“You don’t have to stay with me,” Tyler weakly insists as he fumbles with his house keys. Jamie gently pries the keys from Tyler’s hand and finds the right key to open up the apartment. He opens the door and steps out of the way so Tyler can go in first, and Tyler sheepishly scoots by him.

Normally, Tyler’s place has this faint odor that smells like metal. But all Jamie is hit with is a very neutral scent that causes the hairs to rise on his arms and the nape of his neck. It doesn’t even smell like a vampire would live here.

“When was the last time you actually drank, Segs?” Jamie asks. Tyler’s breath hitches as he drops his keys and wallet in the bucket sitting on his coffee table. He stays facing away from Jamie, shoulders just barely hunched in on himself. The emotions swirling around Tyler feel like a punch to the gut for Jamie. The vampire doesn’t reply, and Jamie knows that he’s hiding something. The shame overpowering all of Tyler’s other emotions is enough of an indicator that there’s something he really didn’t want Jamie to find out.

“Tyler,” Jamie repeats, his voice more firm, Alpha-like. Tyler’s shoulders roll back, but he still faces away from Jamie. Progress. “When was the last time you had blood?”

“Do you really wanna know the answer to that?” comes Tyler’s reply. Jamie quietly swears. Tyler finally turns around, and Jamie can see how upset he is. “It’s not like I didn’t want to drink blood or that I was just being stubborn and thinking I could go longer without it. The thing about being a vampire is that no matter how much you drink, you always drink more, just in case. Better to drink too much blood than not enough.”

“So what happened? Why did you go into that game tonight without enough blood in your system?”

Tyler hangs his head, stares at his dress shoes and tugs at the knot in his tie around his neck.

“You’ll just think I’m lying or some shit like that,” Tyler murmurs. If not for his acute hearing, Jamie probably would have missed it.

“Try me.”

Tyler sighs heavily before sitting down on the couch. Jamie follows suit and sits to Tyler’s left, waiting patiently for Tyler’s explanation.

“I got scared,” the vampire finally admits. “I didn’t wanna come off as picky or demanding or a diva because I need more blood than average just to function. Like, a lot more than average. It’s been like that since I was a baby. Mom used to always tell me growing up that some vampires just require more blood than others, and that that was normal.

“The doctors gave me—like, three months’ supply of blood for a normal vampire. And don’t get me wrong: it was a lot of blood. But it wasn’t enough. Not even close.”

“So you’re out of blood?” Jamie asks incredulously. “Just—completely out of all the blood bags? Nothing left?” Tyler nods, making Jamie swear again. “Why didn’t you say something when you ran out? To Doc or the trainers? Why didn’t you say anything to _ me?” _

Tyler sniffles loudly, turning his face away from Jamie. Jamie sighs and rests a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. Tyler doesn’t even flinch.

“You really could’ve hurt yourself tonight,” Jamie quietly says. “Seeing you pass out like that? That was fucking scary. I thought you were dying.”

“I would have to go a lot longer without blood to die,” Tyler croaks out. “Vampires can go a while without blood, but it’s bad to go very long without it. I have to have it more often than most, and I hate it.”

“How long did you go without blood before tonight?”

Tyler tilts his head side to side, like he’s thinking.

“About ten days,” he finally mumbles.

“Jesus. That’s a while for you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you go to a vampire bar or something and find someone to feed off of? I know there’s plenty of place to go to in Dallas.”

“I don’t feed off of someone unless I know their blood is clean. I’m not some bloodthirsty maniac.”

“I didn’t say you were, because I know you’re not. But Ty, why didn’t you try to find someone with clean blood to feed off of? Why didn’t you try to get help?”

Tyler is silent for a few minutes. He looks like he’s trying to find the right words to say, and Jamie just sits back and waits.

“When I was in Boston,” Tyler finally says in a soft voice, “I was prepared for these vampires to welcome me with open arms, y’know? To be there for me like we were a family. Instead, they assumed that I knew exactly what I was doing and pretty much left me alone. Plus, I was the youngest guy on the roster and the only one under twenty-one at the time. They all had girlfriends and wives to go home to, kids to take care of. They didn’t have time to look after me. But I thought things were going to be different.

“I was pretty fucking depressed about it, so I started going out partying and trying to deal with the fact that no one actually gave a shit about me in Boston. My mom tried to help, especially when I went to go play in Europe, but there wasn’t much she could do because she’s not a vampire. She helped a lot, don’t get me wrong. But it felt like all those times I was trying to fit in with all the other Underworld kids at school or on the teams I played with, and they were afraid to come near me. It just—really sucked.”

Jamie has heard bits and pieces about Tyler’s home life. He knows about Tyler’s humble beginnings: how he was abandoned as a newborn and left on the doorstep of a witch and her wood nymph husband, how they took him in and raised him as their own, despite how angry the Underworld and her coven both were. If Jamie remembers correctly, Tyler’s mom had been temporarily banished from her coven for what happened; but they had let her back in after the Canadian Underworld Congress declared that the mistreatment of the Seguin family for taking in an orphaned newborn was cruel and unconstitutional.

Jamie didn’t really understand why a witch would take in a baby vampire like that, but his mom had told him at a young age that no real mother would _ ever _abandon a child in need, especially one dropped on their doorstep. Jamie knows for a fact that his own mother would do the exact same thing that Jackie Seguin did and never lose sleep over it.

“I know what people say about me,” Tyler continues. “That I’m out of control and that my bloodthirst is more dangerous than anyone has ever seen. That’s not true, by the way, but people like to say shit like that for shock value and because they’re just fucking assholes that don’t really know jack shit about vampires. Yeah, I have to drink a lot more blood than usual, but no two vampires’ bloodthirst levels are the same. I just hate that people look at me and think they know me. They think they know how I feel and what I want, but they don’t know shit.”

Tyler sighs and rests his elbows on his thighs, head in his hands. Jamie can smell all the sour emotions, knows that Tyler is obviously dealing with deeper issues than what he’s shared with Jamie. Jamie tentatively rubs a hand up and down Tyler’s back. He can feel the tension vibrate through Tyler’s spine and feels guilty all of a sudden.

“You can always come to me if anything is wrong,” Jamie promises. “You know that, right?”

Tyler lets out a shaky exhale.

“I know,” he replies. He looks up at Jamie and even though his brown eyes are glassy, they look relieved. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

“We all make mistakes. I just don’t want you to get that bad again.”

“Then I might need to get some more blood soon. What you gave me tonight helped a lot, but I need more than that to get back to where I was before this whole shitshow started.”

Jamie thinks about it. He knows it’s probably a little reckless and stupid, but he cares about Tyler. He wants him to feel better. He wants to be the one to be able to do that for him. He starts rolling up the sleeve of his dress shirt, and Tyler’s eyes widen.

“I’m not taking more blood from you,” he says firmly. “I can’t.”

“I have a fucking awesome healing factor. I’m already fully recovered from earlier, and you need blood.”

“But—”

“Look, at least you know my blood is clean. Better than running off to find someone to feed off of in some gross alley downtown.”

Tyler bites his lip and stares at Jamie’s fully exposed arm. Jamie can tell that he’s thinking about it. He knows Tyler’s probably still really hungry, and he needs more blood. Tyler’s face still looks a little discolored, and Jamie wants him to feel better.

He doesn’t think too deeply about why he’s so determined to be the one Tyler turns to. He can save those thoughts for another time. Tyler’s well-being is his main focus right now.

Tyler’s eyes slowly trail up Jamie’s body. He looks hungry, and Jamie can’t lie when he says it’s making him shiver in a good way. Tyler swallows when he finally stops and gazes at Jamie’s neck.

“It’s—it’s easier,” Tyler chokes out, “when I drink from someone’s neck. Not just for me, but for—for you, too.”

“If that’s what’ll help you. I’ll give you anything you need. Anything you want.” Tyler flickers his gaze to Jamie, who stays stoic under Tyler’s stare. “All you have to do is ask, Ty.”

Tyler closes his eyes and turns away. Jamie can tell that Tyler is fighting with himself. He knows Tyler wants it, wants _ him, _but it’s like he thinks he shouldn’t want it or like it. Jamie reaches over and takes Tyler’s hand into his own. Tyler snaps his head to their now intertwined hands and takes several heavy breaths.

“If I wanted to—to feed from you? Like, frequently?” Tyler breathes out. “And only you? Would you let me?”

Jamie’s breath hitches.

“I wouldn’t just feed from you,” Tyler quickly amends, “because that would slowly kill you, regardless of your healing factor. I’d still use blood bags, but—you would be the only person I’d directly feed from.”

“I already told you, Ty,” Jamie softly says with a smile. He leans in until he and Tyler are bumping noses. “I’ll give you anything you want or need.”

“Jamie—”

“I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. And I don’t think you do, either.”

Tyler breathes against Jamie’s mouth, almost choking on his own breaths. He moves his head down until his mouth is dangerously close to Jamie’s neck. Jamie’s pulse is speeding up, and he knows Tyler can sense it. Tyler moves his mouth back so that it’s hovering just over jamie’s own. Jamie’s eyes flutter closed.

“I don’t wanna just feed from you, Jamie,” Tyler whispers. “You’re more to me than that.”

Jamie opens his eyes again and gasps quietly at Tyler’s eyes turning a deep shade of black like they did hours before when he was desperate to feed. Jamie should probably be frightened, especially by the little veins rising and darkening around Tyler’s eyes. He can’t look away, though, and he doesn’t really want to.

“We can talk more about it tomorrow,” Jamie promises. “Just take what you need.”

Tyler doesn’t bite him, like he assumes. Neither of them move for a few painstaking moments. And then Tyler is kissing him. He’s gentle and doesn’t try to take more than he’s given. He’s giving Jamie the power right now, and it’s making Jamie hot all over.

He kisses Tyler back a little harder, lets go of Tyler’s hand and slithers his arm around Tyler’s waist. Tyler moans softly against Jamie’s mouth and lets the wolf pull at him until he’s got his knees on either side of Jamie’s thighs. They break apart for a moment just to breathe and get comfortable. Tyler is properly sitting in Jamie’s lap and runs a hand through Jamie’s hair. Jamie lets his hands wander around Tyler’s waist, almost asking for permission. Tyler stifles a moan when Jamie touches his bare skin just above his belt.

“Off,” Tyler pleads. Jamie obeys and starts unbuttoning Tyler’s dress shirt. Tyler groans in frustration. “Just rip it off.”

“Tyler—”

“I have a fuck ton of dress shirts. You ripping up one isn’t gonna piss me off.”

Jamie’s instincts are kicking in, and he doesn’t need to be told twice. He takes handfuls of Tyler’s shirt and rips it until the buttons fly off and the fabric rips. Tyler visibly shivers as his toned chest and abs are exposed to the cool air of the apartment. Jamie can feel himself getting hard in his pants, and he’s pretty sure with the way things are going, he’s going to end up coming in his pants just from the intensity of it all. Jamie’s hand slowly slides up Tyler’s stomach and chest until it finally settles on the back of the vampire’s neck. He pulls Tyler down and kisses him again, rougher and more desperate this time.

Tyler’s hands start unbuttoning Jamie’s shirt before finally getting aggravated with the process and ripping Jamie’s shirt up as well and pulling it down and off his broad shoulders. Jamie can just buy another shirt later. He’s not worried. Tyler pulls his mouth away from Jamie’s and just stares at the wolf’s now exposed torso. Jamie knows he’s fairly well built; he has to be to play hockey and be the Alpha of his pack.

He’s never had anyone stare at him like this before. Like he’s important or sacred. Tyler’s fangs are starting to breach his gums, and Jamie can’t wait to have them sink into his skin.

The next kiss is all teeth and tongue, and Jamie can’t describe how much it turns him on to have Tyler’s fangs lightly nip at his lips. He knows Tyler can feel how hard he is, how he’s grinding against Tyler’s ass since it’s sitting directly on top of his dick.

“Let me just,” Tyler says but trails off as he tries to adjust where he’s sitting so that he can unbuckle both his and Jamie’s belts and unzip their pants. Jamie groans lowly at how good it feels to not be so confined anymore. At this angle, Tyler and Jamie’s dicks are lined up but not yet touching. Jamie lets his needs take over, and he reaches behind Tyler to grab his ass with both of his hands.

“Fuck, your hands are huge,” Tyler moans and moves closer so he and Jamie can grind against each other. Both men moan together when they finally start to pick up a rhythm. Jamie’s had great hookups over the years, but this—him and Tyler grinding against each other so they can come in their pants—is definitely somewhere in the top three.

“Jesus, Ty,” Jamie growls and pulls Tyler down again in another lust-filled kiss. Tyler groans loudly into Jamie’s mouth, letting the sounds get swallowed down by Jamie’s mouth. They grind and let the haze of lust take over their minds. Jamie loves the way Tyler smells like this: hot, sweaty, musky, desperate, and _ hungry. _Jamie is starting to get close and he really wants to know what it feels like to have an orgasm while letting Tyler drink his blood.

“Bite me,” he breathes. “Whenever you’re ready, just—”

Jamie tilts his head to the side to expose his neck, and he hears Tyler groan.

“Fuck, Jamie.”

“Do it. C’mon, do it, Ty. I want you to. Do it.” Tyler’s teeth are all the way down now—long, sharp, and brilliantly white—and Jamie _ wants. _

“Bite me.”

That’s all Tyler needs to hear before he leans down and pierces the skin of Jamie’s sweaty neck with his teeth.

Jamie doesn’t expect it when his vision whites out and he comes only seconds later. The euphoria of letting Tyler drink from him and grinding against him is so overwhelming in the best way, and he holds Tyler close. He can hear his blood pumping through his ears, drowning out the loud howl he knows he’s let out. Tyler takes and takes and _ takes, _ just like Jamie said he could do. Jamie knows Tyler will stop. He won’t kill him.

He doesn’t know how much time passes. All he knows is that Tyler is still in his arms, drinking _ his _blood, and still moving his hips desperately against Jamie’s. When he starts regaining some of his consciousness, Jamie lets one hand snake down to Tyler’s underwear and start weakly palming at his clothed dick. Tyler’s hips twitch against his hand.

“Come for me, Tyler,” Jamie whispers. Tyler whimpers against Jamie’s neck lets the rhythm of his thrusts falter as he comes. Jamie’s inner wolf puffs his chest out with pride knowing he made Tyler feel good.

Jamie quietly hisses as Tyler gently lets his fangs slip from Jamie’s throat. “Sorry,” Tyler whispers as he licks Jamie’s wounds clean. When he’s done and satisfied, Tyler sits up again so he can look at Jamie. They stare at each other for a long time. Natural enemies that everyone said could never become allies, much less friends or even lovers.

And yet.

Jamie leans up and kisses Tyler. It’s like the first kiss: slow and easy. There’s no heat or drive behind it. Tyler kisses back and drapes his arms around Jamie’s shoulders. Jamie smiles against Tyler’s lips and breaks up the kiss. Tyler doesn’t seem to mind, though, since he’s smiling, too, and actually looking more like himself. Jamie isn’t back to where he should be, but he’ll be back to normal before sunrise.

Tyler climbs out of Jamie’s lap and starts pulling his pants down. As much as Jamie would love to go again, he’s pretty sure he could sleep for the next four days.

“If you’re wanting to go for another round,” Jamie tells the vampire who is now out of his pants and socks and the remnants of his shirt, “count me out. I’m sure your hand will be enough.”

“Oh no, I’m good,” Tyler cackles and offers his hands to Jamie so he can help the wolf stand up. “But I’m not sleeping in gross underwear. And I don’t think you want to, either.”

“Is this you offering to let me take a shower with you?”

Tyler shrugs.

“If you want.”

It’s an out. A chance for Jamie to walk away and never speak of what happened. No arrangement. No chance of anyone trying to denounce Jamie as Alpha for being with a vampire. No chance of the Underworld trying to ruin either of their lives or reputations. He can play it safe and be with a wolf like he’d planned on—like his family and his pack had hoped for him.

“When you said that you didn’t want this to be a one-time thing,” Jamie says carefully, “you meant it. Right? Because what just happened—we can’t go back to the way things were.” He pauses and watches Tyler’s face, pays attention to his scent. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were before tonight. I know there’s a lot we need to figure out, but I just need to be sure that this isn’t just casual to you.”

Tyler’s face softens. He steps closer to Jamie until they’re toe to toe with each other. Tyler’s still holding his hand, playing with his fingers as he smiles at him. Tyler smells happy, content, satisfied.

“This isn’t just a one-time thing for me,” Tyler assures him. “I don’t want this to be casual. I like you, Jamie. A lot. You’ve been a good friend to me, and I—” Tyler exhales loudly and collects his bearings. “I wanna be more than friends. Because friends don’t do what we just did. I wouldn’t have let any of this happen if I didn’t think we could make this work.”

The tension in Jamie’s shoulders bleeds away and has to kiss Tyler again. Tyler tangles his free hand in his Jamie’s hair and reels him in for a kiss. They’ve kissed so much tonight, and Jamie doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of kissing Tyler.

“Wanna take a shower with me?” Tyler asks between kisses. Jamie hums out a “yes” and lets Tyler lead him to the master bathroom attached to his bedroom.

Jamie ends up falling asleep with Tyler in Tyler’s bed that night after Tyler orders them food from a 24-hour burger place down the block. Jamie’s body is still trying to catch up from all the blood loss he endured, but it’s nice to have Tyler check on him and take care of him while he recovers. He wakes up the next morning feeling well rested and to the smell of eggs and bacon wafting through the apartment. He steals a pair of Tyler’s shorts and strolls into the kitchen with a big grin on his face. He sits at the breakfast bar and watches as Tyler dances around to some Demi Lovato song while cooking the eggs.

“How do you want me to cook your eggs?” he asks without missing a beat.

“Scrambled is fine.”

“Good, because that’s about all I can cook, eggs wise.”

Jamie laughs and waits patiently for his food to finish cooking. He feels so relaxed sitting here in Tyler’s apartment, watching as Tyler makes breakfast for him and asks him to sing along to the music.

“I could wake up to this every morning and never complain,” Jamie says as he and Tyler finish up eating a little while later. Tyler bites his lip and smirks.

“That’s the plan,” he says matter-of-factly. “Maybe one day, you’ll give me one of those big claiming marks.”

Jamie has to tamper down his wolf so that he doesn’t actually claim Tyler or even try to mate with him. They’re not there yet, but they will be. He wants to get to that point one day. He doesn’t know when, but he has this feeling deep down in his soul that he and Tyler are meant to be. He knows that it’ll be hard and that a lot of people are going to have all these opinions about their relationship. But Jamie knows what he wants, and that’s Tyler.

Jamie sees that it’s still fairly early in the morning, and he hasn’t really gone on a proper run since coming back to Dallas. Things have been so hectic with him being Alpha and Captain and trying to get the season kicked off. He’s overdue for a run.

He doesn’t want to leave Tyler behind, though.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want,” Jamie says first and foremost before going any further. Tyler raises an eyebrow as he helps Jamie clean up the table and put the dishes in the sink. “But I was planning on going for a run this morning.”

“If you’re trying to ask me to go on a running date with you, then I’m gonna have to pass.” That startles a laugh out of Jamie. He knows how much Tyler _ hates _long distance running, so he knows not to torture his--whatever Tyler is to him now, with any form of freelance running.

“I meant a run in my wolf form.”

Tyler’s eyes light up.

“Are you asking me to come with you?” Tyler sounds so excited at the idea of getting to come with Jamie and watch him go for a run, and it warms Jamie’s entire body.

“Only if you want.”

“Of course I wanna go with you. I’ve never actually been around wolves while they’re in their wolf forms. I wasn’t friends with wolves growing up, so I never got to see that kind of stuff. Besides, you’ve agreed to let me drink your blood on a regular basis. The least I can do is support you and come on your runs with you.”

Jamie’s heart is full of so many emotions that all he can do to explain how he’s feeling is to kiss Tyler. Not that Tyler minds, of course. If anything, he’s just as happy to be kissing Jamie as Jamie is to be kissing him.

“I’ll meet you down here in about five minutes,” Jamie promises as he throws on a hoodie that Tyler has slung over the back of one of the chairs.

“Don’t hurt yourself trying to run outta here,” he says as he lets Jamie out of the apartment. Jamie feels elated as Tyler kisses him goodbye.

Jamie learned a long time ago not to wear any clothes that he particularly likes when he’s going for a wolf run. He’s always rolling around in dirt and gets so sweaty and gross after, and he ends up tearing his clothes to shreds if he’s too impatient to strip before running. That’s led to quite a few embarrassing incidents where he’s had to call his parents or his siblings and ask them to bring him clothes because he can’t let everyone see him in his wolf form for obvious reasons.

“I got grounded so many times growing up for being out at, like, four in the morning to go on runs,” Jamie says to a hysterically laughing Tyler as they walk through the early October air in a clearing about forty-five minutes outside Dallas.

“Good thing your mom didn’t kill you,” Tyler manages to get out while still laughing. “I never would’ve gotten away with that kind of shit. That’s what I get for having a witch for a mom.”

“I think you still turned out pretty well, though.”

Tyler’s grin softens to a thoughtful smile as they keep walking.

“She and Dad did a lot for me, and I don’t think they’ll ever know how thankful I am for everything they’ve done.”

“I’m sure they know.”

When the two men finally get to a secluded part of the trail, Jamie starts to strip out of his clothes like he always does. He temporarily forgets Tyler is there for a moment and starts blushing stripping down in front of him. He slows down a little and Tyler whistles all low and appreciative when Jamie is finally bare.

“After your run,” the vampire says, “I’m gonna need you to, like, fuck me in the truck bed or something. Because wow.”

Jamie laughs and closes his eyes. He lets his mind drift and follow the wind blowing through the trees. He listens to the sounds of the last few birds that haven’t migrated south chirping from above, the breaking of limbs that have fallen to the earth and are being stepped on by the deer, the foxes scurrying around for food.

The focus on everything around him makes it easier to handle the way shifting grinds his bones and shifts them around so that he’s down to his wolf form.

When he opens his eyes, his hearing is sharper and he can smell all the animals around him. He looks up at Tyler, who is staring at him in awe.

“Holy shit,” he swears as he reaches his hand out to scritch behind Jamie’s ears. “You’re the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen.” Jamie rumbles happily and pushes against Tyler’s hand in thanks. Tyler laughs and sits on the ground to make it easier to scratch around at his ears and neck.

Jamie has always gotten many compliments on his wolf. His shiny, black fur and piercing golden eyes make him a sight for sore eyes all over the Underworld community. He’s big, too. It’s mostly due to his Alpha nature, but it’s also because he came from a family of wolves that are naturally larger in stature. He loves when he’s in his wolf form. It’s when he’s at his most confident.

“You gonna go for your run yet? Or are you just gonna be lazy and let me give you belly rubs like the big puppy that you are?” Tyler teases. Jamie playfully snaps at Tyler’s fingers but rolls over and stands back up on his four legs. He shakes the pine straw and dirt from his fur, making sure most of it lands on Tyler.

“Not funny!” Tyler shouts as Jamie speeds off through the woods. He lets the wind blow his hair back as he runs. He thinks about the events that have transpired over the past twelve hours and has never felt more content. It may not be the future he ever expected for himself, but he can’t bring himself to complain.

There’s so many things to talk about, but he and Tyler have time. For now, they’ll just enjoy each other’s company and figure it out as they go. He knows this isn’t just some fling. He knows that Tyler is something very special to him. He has been since the day he came to Dallas. This isn’t a relationship that will go down easily or quietly.

Jamie lets the images of Tyler smiling and laughing rush through his mind as he keeps running through the woods. There’s nothing else he wants to think about, and he’s come to find out that he likes it better that way.


End file.
